Wolves of Glendale Prove Comedy and Great Music Make a Perfect Pair
There are concerts where you leave with a new favorite song, concerts where you leave with a new favorite band, and then there are concerts where you leave wondering why an audience member’s Ford EcoSport has somehow become the most memorable character of the night.
Wolves of Glendale landed somewhere firmly in the third category Wednesday night at Minneapolis’ Green Room, bringing their particular brand of musical comedy to a crowd that was more than willing to play along.
The evening kicked off with Wynchester, the country duo of Mike Bray and John Konesky, whose songs occupy that wonderfully strange space between genuine country musicianship and completely unserious subject matter. Their set bounced through cheating hearts, denim, cold beer and even a countryfied take on Lionel Richie’s “Easy Like Sunday Morning,” setting the tone for a night where the music would be real, even when the premise absolutely was not.
Then came the Wolves.
Musicians Ethan Edenburg, Erick Jackowitz and Tom McGovern may technically be a comedy trio, but calling them a “comedy band” feels like underselling just how tight they are musically. Their songs move between genres with ease, pairing legitimately catchy melodies and impressive harmonies with lyrics about everything from reptiles to questionable life choices like having a girlfriend who is a ghost. Their 2024 self-titled debut established the formula, while their latest album, Go to the Woods, gives them plenty of new material to unleash on an unsuspecting crowd.
And Minneapolis got a little extra.
Following “Loud Ass Car,” the band asked whether anyone in the audience drove a particularly crappy vehicle. I loved the banter between the trio & the audience, this is part of what made their show feel so genuine and alive. One brave attendee raised their hand - minutes later, her job at TJ Maxx, a pole-related Ford EcoSport incident and the general indignity of driving a smashed-up SUV had been transformed into an impromptu Minneapolis anthem.
“Ford EcoSport” became the hook. Then it became the chorus. Then it became impossible to forget.
The night continued in much the same spirit with audience members holding up chicken nuggets, increasingly unhinged interactions and eventually, a choreographed dance sequence delivered with the kind of commitment usually reserved for a stadium pop tour.
That commitment is what makes Wolves of Glendale work. Beneath the absurdity is a genuinely talented band that understands the joke is only as good as the song underneath it. By the end of the night, the Green Room had become a room full of people who had shared laughs and absurdist lyrics, learned an unsolicited amount about Ouji Birds, Vaping in Vegas, and your Uncles Hot Tub.
This is definitely a show worth catching as they continue their tour.
